Grounding device



June 13, 1933. R. H. OLLEY ET AL 1,913,562

- GROUNQING DEVICE I Filed April 20, 1927 Z i /M. *wimmx I .mme'mg mmgiga v, I n *ooo d boooo 61ml u up Patented June 13, 1933 UNITED sTA'rEs RAYMONT) H. OLLE'Y, OF SYRACUSE, YORK, AND STEPHEN W. BORDER, OF SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO STEPHEN W. BORDER, OE I SUMIIT, NEW JERSEY PATENT, OFFICE I 1 GBQUNDING DEVICE Application flled'hpril 90, 1927. Serial No. 185,181.

This invention relates to rounding devices of the type shown in owles Patent No. 1,491,789 issued April 29, 1924 and has for its object, a grounding device wh1ch 1ncludes a particularly simple and efficient means for mechanically and electrically binding a flexible metallic strap around a conductor as a pipe.

The invention consists in the novel fea tures and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed. In describing this lnvention, reference is i I had to the accompanying drawing in which like characters designate corresponding.

parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view ofa groundmg device embodying this invention.-

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the sections of thebody.

Figure 4 is an inverted plan view of the fitting.

Figure 5 is a detail view of the clamping late. Y p Figure 6 is a detail view of the strap for gripping one of the conductors.

Tlus grounding device comprises general- 1y, a body having means for electrical and mechanical connection to diiferent conductors, one of which is a grounded conductor and the other, a conductor to be grounded,

these sections having adjustment into difierent angular relation and also an endwise adjustment whereby the body can be adapted to fixed conductors located at difl'erent angles to and different distances from each other. v

The device includes a metal strap construction and means for tightening or contracting the metal stra around one of the conductors to most e ciently electrically and mechanically connect the parts together.

In the illustrated embodiment of my in.- vention, the body consists of sections 1 and 2 having means for connection to conductors, the sections being here shown as'lapping each other and the section 2 being provided with means as an internally threaded nipple 3 for connection 'to a conductor to be grounded and also'formed with a lengthwise slot 4 through which-a clamping screw 5 extends which screw threads into the section 1.

The section 2 is also provided with means for connection to a ground wire in case a ground wire is used, this being shown as a '5 extends. The section 2 is in the general form of a channel and the wire en aging head 7 is located Within the channe so as' not to interfere with the pivotal adjusting movement of the section 2 relatively to the section 1. The channel is preferably formed with a sightor inspectionopening 9 in one of its walls as the bottom wall thereof. The section 2 is usuall located with its channel inverted so that th 'adjustability of the section 2 relatively to the section 1 forms the subject matter of a divisional application Serial No. 277 ,147, so

filed May 12, 1928.

10 is flexible metallic'stra having one end lapping and secured as ya rivet 11,

to the section '1, the strap being designed to form a loop around a grounded conduc tor 13 and to wrap a suflicient distance around said conductor to form a good elec-.

trical and mechanical joint. In order that e bottom 9' in which the a slot is formed is presented upwardly. .The-

the strap 10 may wrap a sufficient distance around the conductor 13, irrespectiva of its size, a ripping'element 15 is provi ed for detacha ly'interlocking with the free end of thestrap 10, and this plate 15 is clam ed to the body or section 1 by screws as 1 As the plate 15 is forced downward by turning the screws 17 it is desirable that its, movement be limited to a path having a definite distance from the conductbr 13 in order to insure a definite amount of adjusts 1 ment/of the strap 10 for a given amount of travel of the plate 15; This is occomplished by means of the rigid upright portions 18 on body portion 1 having guide grooves at 19 against which the plate is drawn by the strap 10. Furthermore, the grooves 19 and plate 15 are so shaped and coact as to prevent any transverse movement of the plate 15, thus insuring an even tension across the entire 'width of the stra 10. As the plate is moved downward to-mcrease the tension of the strap 10, there is no relative movement of the strap and any portion of the tightening device in mechanical contact therewith, such relative movements in other devices always acting to cut or tear the strap. If the rigid guides 18 were not present, the entire tension of the strap would be transmitted to the screws 17 in the form of a side pressure applied at the tops of the screws. Such a pressure produces so much friction that it is possible to utilize effectively but a relatively small portion of the power of the screw and furthermore, the screw is liable to be bent by the strain and the accuracy of the adjustment thereby impaired. It frequently happens that in devices having no guides, thescrews are either broken due to bending or twisted ofi in an effort to secure the desired amount of tension on the strap.

The vertical projections 18 are formed with circular are shaped seats 20 for coacting with the conductor 13 and also the points of the arc the body proper.

In the illustrated embodiment of our invention, the strap is formed with a series of holes 14 alongeach margin thereof and the plate 15 is interlocked with the strap 10 by means of prongs '16 which extend through the holes 14. The clamping members 17 extend through the plate 15 and thread into the section 1 on opposite sides of the strap 10.

It is obvious that by placing the prongs of the plate 15 in various of the marginal holes in the strap 10, conductors 13 of varying diameters may be firmly gripped by the strap 10 even though the plate 15 be limited in its vertical travel'to a definite location, and the numberof difierent sizes of conductor as 13 that could be properly project beyond the end of gripped or fittedunder these conditionswould be determined by the closeness to each other of the holes 14 in the strap 10. The holes 14 must be spaced sufliciently far apart from each other to allow a sufficient body of metalbetween the holes to stand the strain of tensioning the strap, and in practice, this distance is great enough to ef-' feet the range of the'adjustment to such an extent that all of the different pipes and conductors commonly met with in practice could not be properly fitted by means only of any feasible number of holes 14 in the strap 10, thus necessitating an-additional iron and finer adjustment than is obtained bythe holes alone. This additional adjustment is provided by means of the vertical travel of the plate 15 from the top to the bottom of the upright 18 and the length of this travel is so proportioned with respect to the distance between adjacent holes 14 in the strap that a slightly greater amount of adjustment is obtained by the full travel of the plate 15 than is obtained by changing plate 15 from one set of holes to an adjacent set of holes and it therefore becomes possible, because of the coaction of the two adjustment features, to tightly fit the strap 10 about the conductor 13 irrespective of its diameter.

In actual practice, the conductor 13 may be a round rod varying in size from inch to 1 4 inches in diameter or an iron pipe of any trade size from 5 inch to 6 inches or larger, the outside diameters of these various pipes all being different from the outside diameters of any of the solid rods previously mentioned, or the conductor 13 may be a lead pipe of any size from inch to 4 inches and these pipes may be of any one of three different thicknesses in common use side diameters substantially all of which.

are different from the outside diameters of ipes or solid rods previously mentione All together these three types of conductors alone present more than fifty I outside diameters which must be properly fitted and we believe that the design of strap and tightening device'in the'illustrated embodiment of our invention is the only type of adjustment so far designed which makes it possible to definitely, accurately and tightly clamp the strap 10 about a conductor 13 irrespective of the diameter of the conductor 13.

The str-a 10 may be provided with lengthwise slits or the purpose of permitting it to more readily conform to irregularities on the surface of the pipe or other conductor 13 and hence, give a. maximum amount of bearing or contact surface on the pipe or conductor 13 and also to provide general pliability thus permitting the strap to be wrapped about conductors of relatively small 7 diameters.

The conductor 13 is usually a water pipe or other conductor the major part of which is buried inthe earth and the conduit-connecting to the nipple 3 is usually a conduit used as a grounding conductor for an electric conduit'system. If a grounding conductor in the form of a wire is also used, the wire is generally installed" within the conduit connecting to the nip le 3 and the wire is terminated in the wire terminal 7. a

. In operation, tlie section 1 is secured to the pipe 13 independently of section 2 and the section 2 is secured to the grounding pipe or conduit of the conduit system independentlyof section 1, after which the two sections are brought together and fastened by means of bolt 5 and obviously, owing to the slot 4: and the pivotal movement about the clamping screw 5, the fitting can be adapted to almost any-situation within limits requiring an angular and an endwise adjustment.-

What we claim is:

1. A grounding device comprising a body, a strap for encircling a conductor, the strap 7 having one end secured to the body and means for. securing the free end of the strap to the body comprising clam ing members extending on opposite sides 0 the strap and an element coacting with the clamping memhers and having means for securing 1t selectively to the strap at any one of a plurality of locations lengthwise of the strap and means for holding the clamping members in alinement during the tightening thereof.

2. A grounding device comprising-a, body, a strap for encircling a'conductor, the strap having one end secured to the bodyj and means for securing the free end of the strap to the body comprising clamping members extending on opposite sides of the strap and an element coacting with the clamping members and having means for securing it selectively to the strap at any one of a plurality of locations lengthwise of the strap and means coacting with said element to hold the clamping members in alinement during the tightening thereof.

3. A grounding device comprising a body, a strap for encircling a conductor, the strap having one end secured to the body and means for securing the free end of the strap to the body comprising clamping members extending on op osite sides of the strap and an element coacting with the clamping members and means for attachment to the free end of the strap and means coacting with said element to hold the clamping members from lateral movement during the tightening thereof.

4. A grounding device comprising; av

body; a strap for encircling a conductor, the strap havin one end secured to the body; and means or securing the free end of the strap to the body and tensioning the strap around the conductor comprising, a plate having means for detachably engaging the free end of the strap to hold the plate and the strap against relative lateral movement and tensioning members extending through the plate on opposite sides of the strap and threading into the body; and a guide provided on the body and extending in the same general direction as the tensioning members and coacting with the plate to hol the strap the conductor.

5. A grounding device comprising a body, a strap for encircling a conductor, the strap having one end secured to the body and having its other end free, the strap being rovided with a series of holes exten ing lengthwise thereof, a clamping plate having means for selectively entering the holes whereby the plate and the strap are held from relative movement, a clamping member coacting with the plate and the body and a'guide provided on the body and coacting with said plate to hold the plate and the clamping member from lateral movement guring the tightening of the clamping mem- 6. A grounding device comprising a body, a strap for encircling a conductor, the strap having one end secured to the body and its other end free a plate interlocked with. the f ee end of the strap, clamping members extending through the plate and coacting with the body, the clamping members extending on opposite sides of the strap, a

guide provided on the body and extending terlocking the plate and the free end of the strap, the clamping members extending through the plate and threading into the body on opposite sides of the strap and guide means projecting from the body and coacting with the plate on opposite sides of the strap.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, and State of New York, this 13th day of A ril, 1927. y fiAYMOND H. OLLEY.

STEPHEN W. BORDEN. 

